While doing research on journals I stumbled upon a treasure trove of vintage American farming memo books, collected by Field Notes co-founder Aaron Draplin. These unique journals are the origins of the Field Notes brand:

When we released our 14th seasonal limited edition, we decided it was about time to get back to our roots. Field Notes in general, and the National Crop Edition specifically, owe their existence to a tradition of promotional memo books distributed to American farmers over the last hundred years by seed, tractor, and other agricultural companies.

I cannot believe that there were tin can shaped books back then… Why does it sometimes feel like design of a few decades back was so much better?